Setting a Rebuilt American 18 Unit.

[@corycochran6756]

"If I get stopped, I'll just tell them I'm a farmer." LOL!!!!🤣🤣🤣

[@TheZachLife]

Farmers get away with anything LOL.

[@mnmountainman9343]

If your farming your "good to go" just send it

[@bradleymcwilliams6348]

I've always said the same thing. We operate trucks, and stuff they'll throw us in jail over, a farmer can do in a half ton pick up. Knew a guy that hauled around and 850 Case dozer on a single tire one ton and gooseneck, with farm tags...

[@379insk]

I'm a farmer.....I always play the farmer card when the DOT pulls me over! Doesn't work much anymore. Lol

[@anon556]

@@bradleymcwilliams6348 "sir, I'm a farmer." "Oi, You got a permit for that?!"

[@MrEric_API]

Setting up the super customized "Hot Rod" American pumpjack unit. I vote for chrome rocker covers!! I love the final touch of the fan blades!!!!

[@TheZachLife]

Haha I agree. It needs some. LOL

[@michael931]

Needs a K&N filter...... :)

[@TheWittyGeek]

I just want to point out that you're fantastic at presenting this stuff. I wish you did videos more often but I understand you're taking care of all of this stuff full-time+ and KZbin is a lot of extra work. Either way, I appreciate you showing us a glimpse into your life, it's good content and interesting to watch.

[@TheZachLife]

Thanks for watching.

[@Wingnut_Stickman]

Your oil draw at the end reminds me it's time for a cup of coffee! Excellent video, thank you for sharing.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha thanks.

[@PatinaChevy56]

I grew up in Kilgore, Tx and was used to seeing pump jacks everywhere. They're usually massive Lufkins. In the 80s I used to drive down the road to one of the old Busby leases to listen to the hit and miss engine pulling up that oil. I always loved the sound when those old motors would get under load. I think some of those old timers would run them off the drip gas coming from the well. My first time up toward Amarillo I saw all those tiny little pump jacks out in the field and I thought they were some kind of yard art like folks in Kilgore had around the house.

[@peterhodgkins6985]

American Shade Tree Engineering at it's very best! You've got some of the most entertaining content on youtube, Zach! I love how you keep mulling things over until you've answered all the "Why'd it do that?" questions.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha Thanks.

[@andrewjames8139]

Boy this brings back a Flood of Memories.In 75 /76/77 I was a ''SWAMPER'' (worm) on a Rig-Up Truck.Truck's. We set many a Pump=Jack. Thanks Zack of bringing them back.

[@kek9004]

I'm from Canada and work in the oilfield. we set big jacks 640s 920s this channel is badass

[@TheZachLife]

Thanks.

[@travispalmer3647]

"Let me show you how rod heavy this is" Pulls the jack right to the top of the well after turning it off......I am a new subscriber and i love it.....Lots of good work on all kinds of things......do with what ya got.

[@spider0804]

The difference between a professional and a new person is not that the pro never makes mistakes. The difference is that a professional knows how to fix their mistakes, and fix them correctly.

[@shawnstillman736]

Dude the bag of concrete at the end had me rolling!

[@garrisonkarr9445]

WOW !! ... the ingenuity of the patch never ceases to amaze! ... Keep on pump'n !

[@demartin5366]

What a blast to join you on this trip to place the pump unit! Loved the forklift ride out to the lease. it's 10:00pm, I need to get to bed, but I can't stop watching your video. The camera positions are perfect. I like the way you analyze a problem and just go for it with common sense improvising remedies. Love the motor counterweight, that is the coolest idea! Good analysis of the weight load, you did a great job setting this unit. That oil looked like Swiss Miss hot cocoa...haha, Great job as always, Zach!!

[@garyplewa9277]

I would see pump jacks in my travels but never knew all of the details involved in setting up and running them. Thanks for all of your videos about oil field operations.

[@matthewmcdaniel8846]

That’s the best pump unit I’ve seen yet it has character

[@MoreFormosa]

The power of a thumbnail! notice how many views this vid has compared to some of your others. That engine block propped up there is hilarious, good ole American ingenuity baby! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪🏼

[@haljackson4064]

When I saw that old engine for counter balance I started laughing. You are a amazing guy to piece together those old wells, stripper wells, hope you get rich working so hard.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha Thanks.

[@jhogan1960]

Just found your channel. I have a friend who came from West Texas and she used to work as a lab tech for water disposal from the oil fields. I work in a water treatment plant, and a lot of the stuff you do (basically moving liquids) is what we do, pumps, sheaves, electric motors, etc. I enjoy you well edited productions.

[@TheZachLife]

Thanks.

[@moe85moe85]

cement bag on the engine block and hoping for a little rain is just brilliant!! love it

[@robertandrews4382]

This stuff is interesting as hell to me. While visiting my mother in Dallas seeing them pumping really drew my attention and made me wonder how they worked. I wish I could come out and work with you for a year. Neat stuff man I'm subscribed 👍👌

[@Mike-01234]

Amazing how all this was worked out over 100 years ago except for the electric motor added later. Even the separator tanks that removes water, and gas without any power or moving parts. We think so many amazing technology was created in the late 20th century. If you really look at the details of what was done in the 19th century and early 20th century it's just as impressive.

[@damocsell]

I used to work for a ranch using these style of jack for stock water I loved them they were very efficient pumpers and the diesel motors we used did not have to work very hard. I had one pump that I tuned down to pump 24/7 7 GPM 10000 gallons per day and it used less than 2 gallons of diesel per day. I could never get close to this with electric submersible.

[@watchguy7986]

I love the function of form approach you have. Nice work

[@joeystrains.9316]

Jack pumps are fascinating to watch. Lived near several of them growing up.

[@charlesyoungblood1402]

Thanks for what you do. We need ya now more than ever . Keep em pumpin !

[@Jdigger4130]

Found ya on 100 year old well. STAYING CUZ YER A RAD GUY Zach! I am hooked!

[@TheZachLife]

Haha Sounds like a plan.

[@BudFox559]

This kind of ingenuity is what made America great. It's really interesting.

[@bitrage.]

That fork lift got sum RPM!!!

[@ToddSaw]

Driving down the highway in a forklift hauling a pumpjack. I love it!!

[@solanaceae2069]

You know a man takes his work seriously when his trucks are Fords

[@dcm12388]

Always take a break when stuff starts going wrong it really helps try it

[@Ken-rk3by]

When a guy is man enough to admit he f-cked-up and still puts it on his channel. He gets a big THUMBS UP and a new subscriber LOL. You should put an old 4-71 Detroit on the beam for the counterweight minus the flywheel. That would be closer to the 1,000 lbs. you needed and maybe hang it under the beam so it doesn't twist the beam.

[@mikew4171]

Dangest "procedure" I've ever seen Zack !! SAALUTE !! However, I can readily see you're the quintessential "risk taker" with exemplary "field mechanics TALENT" ...... BUT, I'd be carefull about taking those kinds of chances ...... especially with regard to "choppin fingers off" from a mis-hap. Looks to me like from the pics of your left hand on the steering wheel, you're already missing the tip of that index "fanger" and just as a reminder, you only have 9 more of those left !! lol GREAT vid Zack !! THNKS for posting ...... WE ALL enjoy heck out of them !!

[@TheZachLife]

Hahaha yep cut the same one off twice. Thanks.

[@raybassman7536]

Love your videos Zach!

[@rosco4659]

Nice channel, something new for me to take an interest in. I was thinking c.ould you hang a couple barrels of the side and maybe shovel dirt into them to add weight when you are rod heavy. Best thing would is you dont have to transport as much weight around, just tip them out and leave it behind

[@Brad.whatthe]

Maybe a powerstroke engine block might have been heavy enough, I bet there readily available 👍

[@TheZachLife]

haha maybe. I was thinking to my self that I should have used a big block.

[@alanpecherer5705]

Hard to imagine how that rig could have cracked that beam on the skid, but I guess if you have a machine running 24/7 for 25+ years, a tiny bit of flex you can't even see can eventually produce a crack like that with cold/hot/wet/dry (the one welded up @ 3:51)

[@MikesGarage-zj7vf]

Thanks Mr. PETE! I have the craftsmen lath 101. Temecula California.

[@cmh2111]

I was sitting having a coffee at the local coffee shop and a pickup towing a lawn tractor drives by. Ya I get it. Normal to see weird things drive by. Seeing a oil well pump on a fork lift drive by, might get my attention though. LoL.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha

[@stevenlapham5254]

Great explanations.... Interesting

[@joeldawson442]

Glorious TX! Worked for some farming bros after graduating not too far from there. Plowed all day on a JD 4020 and my plowing compadre on an 8630. The boss told us to go to another field when we finished. It was cervesa:30 for my compadre and he couldn’t wait on the boss to come get us so he dropped the plow on the 4020 and we headed home about 8 mi. No fear of cops but I should have been real afeared of the boss. Almost met a premature end to my farmhand days. Ol’ compadre got returned to sender.

[@mrivantchernegovski3869]

Hey from New Zealand cool SBC counter wieght lol what ever works ,guess it was bad as the left hand head is off to check something,great channel

[@jiveturkey9993]

When I was a kid I worked at a shop rebuilding oil pumps for those things. They were some super high pressure pumps.

[@dannywilsher4165]

By no means am I trying to tell you how to do your job Mr. Zach. But they make a tool that you can weigh your rods, then you can calculate with a little bit of math how much counterweight you need 2 make the motor pretty much freewheel. This will save electricity and wear and tear on the motor and the bearings on the pumpjack. The only bearings that will have any weight on them will be on the fulcrum of the pumpjack. All the others will be pretty much floating. I never had the opportunity to set-up a pumpjack but I used to own a business that we serviced pump jacks in West TX and eastern New Mexico.

[@tommyhunter1817]

I want one of those things for a decoration at my farm. They hard to come by?

[@TheZachLife]

Not really. Some times people buy them with grenaded gear boxes for decoration.

[@texasfairbanksman272]

Good job. You could sure use an extra hand every now and then. I’m from North Texas too and would like to meet you some day. Take care and keep the videos coming!

[@TheZachLife]

Sounds good. I've watched most of your videos. I like the old engines.

[@dcm12388]

I would love to see how much oil is coming up what does it look like is it really thin

[@MWestern-m4g]

Since the draw pipe is bent at the top, shouldn't you move the sled further way from the well so that the pull is more vertical and hopefully will straighten it back? Or is it no big deal?

[@stovebolt448]

Well there goes Zach driving down the road with his oil well pump, just another day in Texas.🤗 Someone has already said it, you need chrome valve covers on that small block, and is there anyway you can make the fan turn with the wind.😋 It took 75 years but I just bet knowing you that that power line runs right into a.....current bush.😁 With it being rod heavy doesn't that put a lot of load on your gear box?

[@TheZachLife]

Haha I agree it needs a set. It does some i think its ok for now. I will fine some more junk to put on it at some point.

[@danielmoorley8652]

Half the stroke the gear box is driving the load , on the other half of the stroke the load is driving the gear box, you can actually hear the electric motor loading up on the driven half of the stroke

[@MrOilcountry]

Like the counterweight!

[@christophernewton5095]

About how much would it cost to drill a new well In your area

[@peter7624]

Engineering at it's finest! Love the cement bag.

[@63connie78]

nice artistic touch on pumping unit......may have started something ?

[@TheZachLife]

Haha you never know.

[@DarkElfDiva]

This is probably a stupid question, but if the well was too high, why not just add more wood under the base of the pump to make up the difference?

[@markkwasny9650]

Your forklift probably enjoyed the road trip.

[@johntaylor1947]

It looks like fairly hard work, but it is outside with no one around to bug you

[@BigMikesGarage]

Love the counterweight! What area of Texas are you in? I'm in the panhandle up between Lubbock and Amarillo.

[@RuggedBrotha]

BUUUURP hEEEEEEEY ! Whats the yeild per month on a small well like that on average??? 10 barrells a month ?

[@keithphillips1234]

See, Chevy always comes out on top! 😊

[@jonesey1981]

What part of Texas are you in? I’m in Wichita Falls. Cheers, your channel is super interesting. Thanks for your time.

[@pl747]

practical solutions. How much does that well produce?

[@ethanelectric1024]

weld extra wide flange beam or I beam or scrap to end to make it longer for more counter balance to offset the extra length on the front. Then if you really wanna be cheap make some sort of sack or crate or cement block to hang on the end.

[@yurishnirman3847]

Interesting, can you extend the weights more back?

[@alkennedy1124]

How do you know if you are pumping oil out on the ground (over flowing the tank) lol nice thanks BigAl California

[@danbough6892]

Couldn’t you use heavy u bolts for that bridle.???

[@TheZachLife]

It wouldn't take much to be an improvement.

[@RichieCat4223]

0:35 This is what a pick up was meant for, work. Not just drive around with a loud muffler thinking "I'm a truck driving man."

[@Danvers97]

What part of Texas are you in

[@johnberry1107]

Yes, just think about it some and then make it work, better. Zach - watch out! A fellow that I know lost a thumb one time he was "hoping it don't let go". he found out it is harder to turn a wrench when you are a finger short of usual. Thank you.

[@zakksrage]

A farmer in the harvest season of black gold

[@travellingmatey4299]

Midland Tx?

[@douro20]

How big is the sucker rod it's pulling? Sorry I didn't watch the whole video

[@jonathanwaddington965]

How many wells doyou operate?

[@abpob6052]

I love getting things done with what you can find laying around. With that said, you only need a small amount of math and some basic engineering statics calculations for moments and you wouldn't have to guess about any of this.

[@byronleatham1183]

Small box Chevy only weighs like $275 lb to 300 so you need a couple more hundred pounds I can tell by listening to your rig that it's actually pulling real hard so you get it balanced out to where you don't hear that buzz as it tries to pull up so it's nice and smooth both ways so put some more weight on the back a couple more hundred pounds

[@Mike-01234]

Chevy SB is around 550 lbs 6.7L Cummins diesel is 1100 lbs.

[@jeffjacobson3388]

Smelt some led and fill up the crank case with it and then you’ll have a hidden lead storage for ammo slugs down the road.

[@DavidCAllen50]

Using a clip on amp meter could you just check the motor amp draw on the up stroke and compare it to the motor amp draw on the down stroke to check the balance? That should tell you to add or remove balance weight.

[@TheZachLife]

Yes kinda, the current won't be smooth but you can watch the peaks.

[@BrennanHoyt]

Is there a reason the front (well side) of the frame base doesn't extend closer to the well? If two "legs" extended forward just past the center line of the well.... It couldn't ever flip forward and bend the brass rod. I assume it's not done that way because it would block well access for some other maintenance procedure. Or the cost of the extra steel. I know very little about oil wells; just a little more about geometry and physics.

[@TheZachLife]

On a properly weighted unit it's simply not necessary, but on a lot of them they actually are like that. The problem is that if any substantial weight is put out on the cantilevered part it will put a high amount of stress on the skid under the sampson post. This coupled with the fact the stress is applied and released 12 or so times a minute will quickly metal fatigue and stress fracture the skid.

[@JensSchraeder]

Do you ever use the old Arrow engines on your wells or are they all electric?

[@TheZachLife]

We are all electric.

[@moneyshot7775]

I just discovered your channel and I can see right now that you and I would turn the whole world upside down if we were to ever meet! Not sure where you're located at but I'm a 3rd generation oilfield baby from South Central Arkansas born and raised! We are alot alike yet totally different at the same time! Those little Americans sure are some good little units MOST times😂

[@TheZachLife]

Hahah we are north central texas. Yeah the American are just about my favorite.

[@TheSnej3089]

I’m curious about how much do you charge an hour for maintenance on a gusher

[@whitehorse1959]

Black gold, Texas tea, yeah.

[@jerrymerritt5698]

Oklahoma or SE Texas?

[@guestuser6168]

where does all the oil get pumped too?

[@dcata251]

God bless you.

[@jaym8257]

Is that left index finger an oil field injury?

[@TheZachLife]

First time it was. 2nd was on the RV.

[@kevinroberts9394]

Holding the polish rod in with a stack of washers? I realize half of the clamp is broke missing ect. How about a u-bolt?

[@briansumner2700]

Nice light brown crude oil. I bet that stuff is high in natural gasolines. Well done. That is the first time I've seen a SBC used as a counterweight. LOL.

[@TheZachLife]

Haha. First time for everything.

[@uTube486]

I should know this...Does it matter which way the motor runs?

[@TheZachLife]

Most units can run ether way. A few will be directional and have arrows casted in the gearbox.

[@uTube486]

@@TheZachLife I kinda thought it would have better "tug" in a certain direction.

[@moondogdieselworks3883]

Love the power plant

[@madzen112]

What happens with the oil when you pump it up? Into a big tank and then a truck comes along and pick it up once in a while? Or? Great video btw, we got nothing like this where I live!

[@TheZachLife]

It's stored in tanks and sold by the truck load.

[@obfuscated3090]

If the problem was the cast clamp half splitting it would be easy to have some plate waterjetted or laser cut then mill any groove desired. Maybe your lasercutting bro could cut a batch. I get the 'git 'er dun part but slow systematic preparation can pay off. A bench stock of common spares saves trips to the store and time is money. BTW there's a better adjustable wrench for that job that ironworkers use ( "Crescent spud wrench" with a taper bar instead of a flat handle) that besides being longer and comfier to put a boot on fits cheater pipes with little or no wobble. Ironworker tools like sleaver bars and bull pins are so handy around the shop I keep them though I'm not an ironworker. There are many tricks from many trades and the reason I'm here is to learn some of yours! A tool/equipment skid for your truck bed (with fork pockets of course) could let ya have all the weaponry you want on-hand. Weldors fab some slick ones. I'm old, near crippled and lazy so I look to be efficient.

[@TheZachLife]

Ive got some spud wrenches but never though about putting a cheater on them. Thats a good idea.

[@stevensaxon8888]

How many gallons per day is it producing?

[@TheZachLife]

This well make about 3/4 of a bbl/day. 30ish gallons.

[@SteamCrane]

@@TheZachLife It adds up over a year.

[@dubstrippin]

Lol I’d love to spend a day doin this with ya. What a hoot

[@tubeDude48]

Is it called Red, because of the famous Red Adair?

[@TheZachLife]

Im not sure.

[@ryanehlis426]

Sketchy 🤣 I haul crude oil and I just plugged a hole in my tank with a screw and JB weld.

[@yanghigh1942]

i laughed so hard when you sent that bag of quickcrete up there

[@njipods]

I find it odd you set a well so modern on the same place where old wells are. Are they not empty or mostly empty by now?

[@tubeDude48]

You need a reflector triangle on the back of your Lift. At 12:55, I don't go along with just using washers!

[@TheZachLife]

Yeah this whole thing kinda turned into one of those deals.

[@althomas6496]

I made a c shaped fixture with a screw to get the bend out of polish rod if it isn't bent to bad.